Cairo, Egypt: where the famous Pyramids, Great Sphinx, and Egyptian Museum are at

Any trip to Egypt will undoubtedly require a trip to the worldly known and famous Pyramids (most likely the Giza Pyramid), the Great Sphinx (and it’s broken nose), and the Egyptian Museum where many of the photos taken of the famous archaeological finds such as the tombs, artifacts, and many more are featured. Even King Tut’s tomb and its treasures are also part of this museum with its own exhibit (and police section that also enforces a no-photo rule), definitely is worth going to. So once my scuba diving trip was over, it was back to the chaotic city of Cairo where the world wonders await.

And forget about all that crap you see or hear on the news about the violence or terrorism. The people and government of Egypt take great pains to ensure that foreigners, particularly tourists, are in good and safe hands. The last time that they suffered through a huge drawback in tourism resulted in a lot off people to be in poverty and/or laid off because tourists became scared. This time around, I don’t think the Egyptians want to do go through pain again so they’ve put in a lot of work to ensure the tourism (and tourism money) continues to flow in the people’s coffers which is helping the country become more of a regional power which results in their government put more protection and improved services to foreigners. For example, around the well-known tourist areas, you will see a lot of police conducting patrols to make sure tourists feel safe.

Onward to the pyramids! And yet, another world wonder is complete! Well, actually, they’re part of the 7 world wonders of the ancient world, not of the new world wonders. however, I still put the Pyramids in that 7 world wonders list which really makes it 8 world wonders of the world. Even the organization that held the 7 new world wonders campaign made the Pyramids a honorary candidate.

The best time to go to the pyramids is in the morning when the sun is coming up and the tourism crowds are low.

If you have a guide, ask him or her to take you to where the crowds are smaller so you can get a better picture.

On one of the pyramids, you can climb a certain section of it. Might as well get up and personal with the pyramids!

Another area with a view of the pyramids.

You can go during low season such as spring or fall, it’s best to go then. In the summer, I heard that it’s unbearably hot and even the local Egyptians go to the Red Sea and Mediterranean resorts to cool off.

Interestingly, this pyramid has a hole in it.

You can see that the top of the pyramid’s color is different from the majority. I was told that over time, people would go to the pyramids to make them into quarries in order to salvage the rocks from them to build their own homes or other buildings.

If you’re in the Pyramid area, you will likely to go see the Sphinx. How did the Sphinx lose its nose? No one knows but I think in the Disney movie Aladdin, that was probably the best story of them all – Abu and Jasmine were riding on a magical carpet which caused the sculptor to mis-strike the rock which caused its nose to break off. So just looking at the Sphinx – gosh, it’s a lot smaller than you imagine it to be. You would think it’s huge like its Pyramid brothers surrounding it but nope.

Who broke the Sphinx’s nose? That’s a million dollar question or billion dollar question.

Sphinx and pyramid.

It just isn’t that big as you can see. Don’t believe the movies!

Another side of the sphinx.

Here’s the backside. I thought that there would be a tail but there isn’t. Must have taken a long time to get those sand bricks in place.

Once you get your fill of these ancient world structures (and avoiding the touts trying to sell you souvenirs), your next stop is to the Egyptian Museum (also known as the Museum of Cairo). There is a lot of priceless ancient world Egyptian artifacts with many dating back thousands of years! There are so many in there that it might rival the British Museum in London which alone is a very big museum.

The front entrance of the Egyptian Museum. This is just the start of numerous artifacts and exhibitions.

Some carved hieroglyphics. Very well detailed work done thousands of years ago.

I guess this is what an Egyptian king (pharaoh) would have worn back in the ancient times.

Something interesting with the statue and the artwork inside.

A great day to see what I remember reading all about when I was a kid. I’m lucky to have finally seen it in person!